The present invention relates to an optical analyzer for chemical reactions for use in performing, for example, analyses of hemostasis, thrombosis and infectious diseases.
Optical instruments are known which measure coagulation time of a patient's blood. Such instruments generally comprise a lamp and a detector. A sample of blood plasma and a clotting reagent are dispensed into the reaction well of a cuvette and a light beam from the lamp is directed through a cuvette to the detector. The voltage of the detector is read by a computer and the data are mathematically processed to determine the time at which the clot forms.
Automated chemical analyzers have been developed which can automatically perform analyses on multiple patient samples without operator intervention. In one such machine developed by the assignee of the present application, sample volume containers with bar code information on the side identifying the sample and the test to be performed by the analyzer are loaded into a temperature controlled compartment, which also stores reagents and other additives under temperature control. The samples are automatically dispensed into reaction wells of cuvettes, and reagents and possibly other additives are automatically combined with the test samples according to the programmed test read from the bar code on the sample container. The reaction wells now containing a reaction volume composed of a test sample and additives are transported to an optical analyzer which monitors changes in optical characteristics of the reaction volume, which changes are processed and evaluated according to the particular test being performed. This machine is capable of performing tests on hundreds of patient samples without intervention of the operator once the sample containers are loaded into the temperature controlled compartment. A sample handling system of the type described above is disclosed in greater detail in copending and concurrently filed U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 07/443,951,to Hulette et al, entitled "Sample Handling System For An Optical Monitoring System," and a specially designed cuvette and linear drive mechanism therefor for use in the sample handling system is disclosed in greater detail in copending and concurrently filed U.S Patent Application Serial No. 07/443,956 to Karp et al, entitled "Cuvette And Linear Drive Mechanism Therefor," both of which applications are assigned to the assignee of the present application. The disclosures of both of the foregoing applications are incorporated herein by reference.
In order to handle the high throughput of such a machine, and to provide the versatility to perform a variety of tests without operator intervention, it was necessary to develop an improved optical analyzer that could, among other things, simultaneously optically monitor a plurality of reaction volumes over an extended period of time and with respect to a wide spectral range so that the machine could be programmed to perform a wide variety of tests, including tests yet to be developed.